Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Scapegoat \Scape"goat`\, n. [Scape (for escape) + goat.]
   1. (Jewish Antiq.) A goat upon whose head were symbolically
      placed the sins of the people, after which he was suffered
      to escape into the wilderness. --Lev. xvi. 10.

   2. Hence, a person or thing that is made to bear blame for
      others. --Tennyson.

Source : WordNet®

scapegoat
     n : someone punished for the errors of others [syn: {whipping
         boy}]